Flying from UK to EU do I just need a passport?

[heart-of-wessex]

Hello all,

Thinking in March of having a week at Amsterdam Schiphol, since 2019 I haven't flown anywhere at all, I have a new passport now but completely out the loop as what is required / what I do as it was 6 years ago since I went to the airport with my old red passport, scanned it through the gates and that was that, from what I understand that's all changed.

There was something I heard about you would need to pay £7 for some pass to travel to the EU, I thought it would be per visit but if I've read correctly, it's valid for 3 years and is attached to your passport but shouldn't affect me as its not due to be the case until mid-2025 (though I am going to Crete on May so might affect that) but i assume otherwise I won't need that, just the passport

I assume at Schiphol you don't just scan the passport at the e-gate anymore, do you go to the manned gate and get a stamp, or can you still go through the e-gates?

Sorry for having what is probably a basic question I have looked online but I'd rather hear it from someone who's done UK - EU to know what docs I need and what happens, after 6 years gap my condition makes me nervous worried that I'm missing something


Any help is most appreciated!

James

 

[lawried123]

Hello all,

Thinking in March of having a week at Amsterdam Schiphol, since 2019 I haven't flown anywhere at all, I have a new passport now but completely out the loop as what is required / what I do as it was 6 years ago since I went to the airport with my old red passport, scanned it through the gates and that was that, from what I understand that's all changed.

There was something I heard about you would need to pay £7 for some pass to travel to the EU, I thought it would be per visit but if I've read correctly, it's valid for 3 years and is attached to your passport but shouldn't affect me as its not due to be the case until mid-2025 (though I am going to Crete on May so might affect that) but i assume otherwise I won't need that, just the passport

I assume at Schiphol you don't just scan the passport at the e-gate anymore, do you go to the manned gate and get a stamp, or can you still go through the e-gates?

Sorry for having what is probably a basic question I have looked online but I'd rather hear it from someone who's done UK - EU to know what docs I need and what happens, after 6 years gap my condition makes me nervous worried that I'm missing something


Any help is most appreciated!

James

Hi, I recently flew into Schiphol with a UK passport. Whilst some other nationalities were allowed to scan their passports, UK passengers had to queue up to get their passport stamped which in my case was one hour 20 minutes in the queue. I don't know whether this is the norm I may have just been unlucky. I hope you don't mind standing for that length of time.
On the return it was just scanned so no delay coming back.
Enjoy your trip.

 

[stadler]

Hello all,

Thinking in March of having a week at Amsterdam Schiphol, since 2019 I haven't flown anywhere at all, I have a new passport now but completely out the loop as what is required / what I do as it was 6 years ago since I went to the airport with my old red passport, scanned it through the gates and that was that, from what I understand that's all changed.

There was something I heard about you would need to pay £7 for some pass to travel to the EU, I thought it would be per visit but if I've read correctly, it's valid for 3 years and is attached to your passport but shouldn't affect me as its not due to be the case until mid-2025 (though I am going to Crete on May so might affect that) but i assume otherwise I won't need that, just the passport

I assume at Schiphol you don't just scan the passport at the e-gate anymore, do you go to the manned gate and get a stamp, or can you still go through the e-gates?

Sorry for having what is probably a basic question I have looked online but I'd rather hear it from someone who's done UK - EU to know what docs I need and what happens, after 6 years gap my condition makes me nervous worried that I'm missing something


Any help is most appreciated!

James

All you need is your passport. You have to queue up at the manned immigration desk when you arrive and get an entry stamp. Also when you leave you also need to queue up at the manned immigration desk and get an exit stamp. It is very important that you get both an entry stamp on arrival and an exit stamp on departure as these prove how long you have spent in the Schengen area and how much of your 90 days in 180 days allowance you have used up and prove that you have legally entered and exited the Schengen area.

At some point either this year or possibly next year the (heavily delayed) EES will replace passport stamping. But for now you need both entry and exit stamps. This is not to be confused with the separate (but also heavily delayed) ETIAS which is a visa you have to purchase from later this year or next year depending how much more delayed it gets.

So yes for now all you need is your passport. There is nothing else necessary until at least later this year or next year. Simply queue up at the manned immigration desks both on arrival and on departure and get an entry stamp and get an exit stamp.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

All you need is your passport. You have to queue up at the manned immigration desk when you arrive and get an entry stamp. Also when you leave you also need to queue up at the manned immigration desk and get an exit stamp. It is very important that you get both an entry stamp on arrival and an exit stamp on departure as these prove how long you have spent in the Schengen area and how much of your 90 days in 180 days allowance you have used up and prove that you have legally entered and exited the Schengen area.

At some point either this year or possibly next year the (heavily delayed) EES will replace passport stamping. But for now you need both entry and exit stamps. This is not to be confused with the separate (but also heavily delayed) ETIAS which is a visa you have to purchase from later this year or next year depending how much more delayed it gets.

So yes for now all you need is your passport. There is nothing else necessary until at least later this year or next year. Simply queue up at the manned immigration desks both on arrival and on departure and get an entry stamp and get an exit stamp.

Ohhh not heard of the EES, the ETIAS would be the one I've heard about that involves a purchase, but at least I don't have to worry about that

Thank you ever so much for confirming what I need and what I do for return that really is appreciated!!

 

[JamesT]

Ohhh not heard of the EES, the ETIAS would be the one I've heard about that involves a purchase, but at least I don't have to worry about that

Thank you ever so much for confirming what I need and what I do for return that really is appreciated!!

Generally, your best bet is to look at the Foreign Office webpages on what the requirements are for travelling abroad.

Travel abroad - GOV.UK

Includes the latest travel advice by country, your rights at the airport and getting help abroad

www.gov.uk

So for going to Amsterdam, specifically you would get to https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/netherlands/entry-requirements

 

[styles]

Just a passport, join the non-EU passports queue, it'll get stamped, happy days.

Visas not yet required.

The electronic entry/exit system not yet in operation either.

When you arrive back in the UK, join UK passports queue, use e-passport gates, which I'm not convinced are much quicker.

I like the passport stamps, so was actually kinda pleased EES got delayed in November, as it would've meant missing out on my Iceland stamps (not to be confused with the Kerry Katons ones)

 

[najaB]

UK passengers had to queue up to get their passport stamped which in my case was one hour 20 minutes in the queue. I don't know whether this is the norm I may have just been unlucky. I hope you don't mind standing for that length of time.

I've been through Schiphol into the EU twice in the last six months and both times it look less than 20 minutes. I'll probably be that way again in a couple of weeks and we'll see if it's three out of three.

 

[dangie]

… use e-passport gates, which I'm not convinced are much quicker.

That’s my experience too. I never remember in which orientation to place my passport on the scanner. The information diagram isn’t much help. I place it, wait a few seconds, nothing happens. I remove it, turn it around, wait a few seconds, nothing happens. Go back to the beginning…. repeat. In the end a customs officer comes to the rescue.

The problem as I see it is that there is no consistent time from placing your passport on the scanner as to when the green accept light comes on. How long do you wait before thinking you’ve placed the passport the wrong way, as I do?

 

[styles]

That’s my experience too. I never remember in which orientation to place my passport on the scanner. The information diagram isn’t much help. I place it, wait a few seconds, nothing happens. I remove it, turn it around, wait a few seconds, nothing happens. Go back to the beginning…. repeat. In the end a customs officer comes to the rescue.

The problem as I see it is that there is no consistent time from placing your passport on the scanner as to when the green accept light comes on. How long do you wait before thinking you’ve placed the passport the wrong way, as I do?

I'm not sure I've had that issue yet, though I could see myself doing it!

My last passport one day just stopping being accepted by these gates. I don't know if they thought my 5 years old photo was wildly different to my current appearance, or the RFID mechanism broke, or what. But at UK airports in particular if they spotted me joining the 'All Passports' queue with an e-gate compatible passport, they'd tell me I had to use the gates. I'd explain that it doesn't work and they'd say I have to try anyway.

Anyway, this is when I started pretending to be Moroccan and speaking French if anyone tried to marshal me into the UK passport queue, at which point they leave you alone and you get your passport checked by a human.

 

[najaB]

That’s my experience too. I never remember in which orientation to place my passport on the scanner. The information diagram isn’t much help. I place it, wait a few seconds, nothing happens. I remove it, turn it around, wait a few seconds, nothing happens. Go back to the beginning…. repeat. In the end a customs officer comes to the rescue.

Mandatory pedant note, it would be an immigration officer rather than customs.

And I find some gates easier to use than others. I only remember the gates at Edinburgh working once out of the dozens of times I've used them.

 

[nlogax]

When you arrive back in the UK, join UK passports queue, use e-passport gates, which I'm not convinced are much quicker.

The delays I experience at UK e-gates are exclusively due to people in front of me getting into knots themselves when trying to use them.

 

[najaB]

The delays I experience at UK e-gates are exclusively due to people in front of me getting into knots themselves when trying to use them.

You're lucky. I think my appearance has changed just enough since I got the passport that it can't quite figure out who I am. Not to mention the well-documented fact that many facial recognition systems struggle with people who don't look like the people who design them.

Studies show that facial recognition technology is biased. The error rate for light-skinned men is 0.8%, compared to 34.7% for darker-skinned women, according to a 2018 study titled “Gender Shades” by Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, published by MIT Media Lab. A 2019 test by the federal government concluded the technology works best on middle-age white men.

The accuracy rates weren’t impressive for people of color, women, children, and elderly individuals.

Biased Technology: The Automated Discrimination of Facial Recognition

Studies show that facial recognition is least reliable for people of color, women, and nonbinary individuals. And that can be life-threatening when the technology is in the hands of law enforcement.

www.aclu-mn.org

 

[dangie]

The delays I experience at UK e-gates are exclusively due to people in front of me getting into knots themselves when trying to use them.

That's what I was alluding to. The instructions aren't particularly clear. It really is easy to get it wrong. It also needs to be made clear that it could take varying time for the machine to scan and read the passport.

 

[sor]

The delays I experience at UK e-gates are exclusively due to people in front of me getting into knots themselves when trying to use them.

they sometimes just don't work. I've had this experience at Brussels Midi. UK passport works fine on the Belgian reader, walk forward to the UK e-gate, no go. Directed to a border agent who claims it's the passport cover wot did it (even though it's open?). Worked last time I went through.

In reply to the first post - EES/ETIAS of course only applies to British and non-EU/EEA citizens entering the Schengen area. If you are lucky enough to have Irish or other EU/EEA dual citizenship & travel on that passport then you won't need to do this once those systems come online. You also won't need to do it to enter Ireland as they are part of the Common Travel Area with the UK.

 

[najaB]

UK passport works fine on the Belgian reader, walk forward to the UK e-gate, no go. Directed to a border agent who claims it's the passport cover wot did it (even though it's open?). Worked last time I went through.

Interesting you say that, as it matches my experience exactly - hasn't worked on a UK gate any time in the last seven years since I got this passport and then worked the most recent time. I wonder if they've had a software upgrade?

 

[sor]

Interesting you say that, as it matches my experience exactly - hasn't worked on a UK gate any time in the last seven years since I got this passport and then worked the most recent time. I wonder if they've had a software upgrade?

My passport was issued in 2019 (yeah I was petty enough to renew slightly early so that it'd be burgundy) - wonder if there's something about a specific batch or date range

 

[najaB]

My passport was issued in 2019 (yeah I was petty enough to renew slightly early so that it'd be burgundy) - wonder if there's something about a specific batch or date range

Possible, but I think it's more likely the gates that the UK use than the passport itself. I used mine somewhere else (wish I could remember where - might have been in Paris) and it worked first time.

 

[vjm1975]

The delays I experience at UK e-gates are exclusively due to people in front of me getting into knots themselves when trying to use them.

Seem much quicker than a few years back. Maybe a bit more forgiving now or people have got used to them somewhat. Last year joined what looked like a horrendous queue of a few hundred people for passport control at Manchester Airport but was through in 15 mins. The actual check in the E-Gates was probably no more than 15 seconds from entering to leaving.

A few months before, at the back of a plane load of passengers (with at least 1/2 using the E - Gates) at Basel took 2 hours to get through with just one person checking. even the standard glance and look for a random place to stamp took best part of two minutes. Usually though I find most places in Europe never really waited more than 15-20 mins and even if you get asked a couple of questions the actual check is less than a minute.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I wonder if they've had a software upgrade?

The people at Flyertalk reckon there was a "software upgrade" (i.e. a better and more efficient way of putting markers against passports and reducing the number of false matches) in September last year.

I have a relatively common Irish name and so I always thought it made sense that it was simply about Border Force making sure I'm not a Provo.

I've always had issues but my passport has worked perfectly since October, annoyingly a few months before it expired. I've not yet tried out my new one, so we shall see.

 

[75A]

Reading this has really put me off flying. Over the years i've been to most of Europe, the Middle East, Canada, China, Australia, USA, the West Indies etc so have no real desire for these dfficulties.
Dublin to Holyhead taking a car is simple, an hours drive to Dublin, no faffing with passports & the same @ Holyhead, that'll do for me

 

[najaB]

Reading this has really put me off flying.

Why? Worst thing that happens is you end up in a long queue at the start and/or end of your trip.

 

[75A]

Exactly, I"m to old and disabled for all that.

 

[najaB]

Exactly, I"m to old and disabled for all that.

Then book assistance with the airline. Normally you'll get to use the priority line.

 

[Topological]

Had a few decent waits at Schiphol changing planes, though the last trip was on separate tickets so I had to go out to check back in again. That was because flights from the UK are really expensive in the school holidays and even with £200 to Amsterdam you can still get to most places in the world much cheaper than the through fares from the UK.

I believe the UK e-gates still accept EU passports.

I also only ever get problems with e-gates when my passport becomes old. Since I got my new one I have not waited more than a couple of minutes at Heathrow. The fact that the photo page goes in face down onto the scanner seemed logical enough.

 

[75A]

Then book assistance with the airline. Normally you'll get to use the priority line.

Must admit that did work @ Nice a few years ago. We were last off the plane and first onto the coach, heading for the Monaco Grand Prix.

 

[Cowley]

I’m going to say that this one has been answered comprehensively now.

Thanks everyone